Devices are presently known which will retrieve golf balls from inaccessible places such as water traps. In such devices a retrieval means, mounted on the end of an elongate handle, is pushed against the ball which faces the ball past laterally movable bail or spring members into a pocket. One such device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,503 issued Jan. 15, 1985 to J. Jeniga in which bail members, pivotably mounted freely on a frame, move laterally apart under pressure to pass a golf ball into a pocket formed by the frames. In another device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,334,707 issued June 15, 1982 to C. S. Phillips fixed resilient springs forming a pocket move laterally apart under pressure to pass a golf ball into the pocket. In the Jeninga device the ball is removed by lifting he bails to allow the ball to drop from the pocket. In the Phillips device the ball is removed from the pocket by pulling the ball against the springs. In each of these devices the method of removing the ball from the device is awkward. Also in the Jeninga device the retrieval means is fixed to the handle which means that in the Jeninga device the ball must be resting on a substantially horizontal surface for an operator to cover it while in the Phillips device the ball would be difficult to grasp if resting on a substantially horizontal surface because it would be pushed away instead of being forced between the springs and since the retrieval means is fixed to the handle the ball might be inaccessible if lying in a depression.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for retrieving a golf ball in which a ball entrapped by the device may be released simply by applying lateral manual pressure.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a device which is operable to retrieve a golf ball which is lying on a horizontal or non-horizontal surface and under difficult hazard trap conditions such as silt or mud.